


i've hidden my heart in the dark for you

by imstephtacular



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Christmas, Drabble, Fluff, Fluffy, M/M, OT5, Oneshot, background Larry, christmas drabble, lirry friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-06
Updated: 2014-12-06
Packaged: 2018-02-28 10:13:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2728544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imstephtacular/pseuds/imstephtacular
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Christmas time and the boys are doing their annual holiday gift exchange, but this year...Liam wants to give Zayn something more, something more personal</p>
            </blockquote>





	i've hidden my heart in the dark for you

“And done!” Liam proclaims, clicking some keys on his laptop and folding his arms in triumph. “Christmas presents all ordered and paid for and I didn’t even have to enter a shop.” Liam gleams, looking to Harry for approval.

“And what are you giving Zayn?” Harry asks, casually, flicking through the pages of a photography magazine, his feet up on Liam’s coffee table.

“Um…” Liam fumbles, not wanting to reveal the idea he’s finally decided upon.

“I mean, I would suggest a shag or summat, but that’s just me,” Harry adds, no change in his tone. Liam blushes, color spreading to his hairline, and gasps audibly. “Don’t act like you’re so good at keeping secrets, Payno. I can read you like this magazine and it’s ob.vi.oussss…” Harry drawls, finally looking up and flashing a cheeky grin. Liam is speechless and Harry goes over to clap him good-naturedly on the shoulder. “I’m only kidding mate. I’m sure whatever you give him will be wonderful. I know it’s not easy giving the love of your life a present when he doesn’t know he’s the love of your life. That I know all too well,” Harry’s eyes shine, lost in a distant memory of the days before Louis finally caught on and returned his affections.

“I’ve got an idea, but I…you’ll think it’s stupid,” Liam trails off, suddenly busying himself with tidying up the pillows on the couch and the clothes draped across every surface.

“Li, this is me,” Harry says earnestly. “There’s nothing cheesy and romantic that you could suggest to me that would possibly sound stupid. Need I remind you of what I gave Louis the first year we all met?” Liam’s eyes crinkle to meet a genuine smile as he remembers the tacky reindeer suspenders Harry had bought Louis that first Christmas. “So trust me. Tell me.”

And so Liam does.

**

The lads are getting together to exchange gifts two nights before Christmas, before they all go home to spend the holidays with their families. Harry’s and Louis’ gifts are, naturally, wrapped to perfection, with coordinating bows and ribbons and shining paper and Niall’s are wrapped in the newspaper comics like he’s done for as long as they’ve known him. Liam’s done his best effort to make his gifts look presentable, but he eventually enlisted Harry to help him get the taping right and make sure the tags didn’t fall off along the way. Zayn’s decided, as usual, not to wrap his gifts, but to keep them secreted away in the other room so nobody can peek.

They’re meeting at Liam’s this year, next in the rotation. He’s set out, again with Harry’s help, plates of cookies and bottles of beer, knowing they don’t need much else aside from each other’s company. “Alright, who wants to go first?” Niall asks through a handful of cookies.

“We will,” Louis and Harry chime in unison and Liam, Zayn, and Niall join in a chorus of gags. Louis shoots them a look as Harry lets out a light laugh, squeezing Louis’ thigh. “And don’t worry, just because we’re doing joint gifts this year, doesn’t mean they’re any less fabulous and thoughtful,” Harry adds, beaming.

“Well of course they won’t be, I picked them out,” Louis snickers.

“I helped!” Harry whines.

“Oi, get on with it,” Niall shouts, reaching for another cookie.

“Okay, okay, Liam,” Harry hands Liam a gold box tied with a silver bow, “Zaynie,” Harry passes Zayn a similar looking package, the colors opposite Liam’s, “and Nialler,” Harry tosses a small green box in Niall’s direction.

The boys open their gifts at the same time, marveling over the hand-picked presents from their best mates. Liam gets a pair of trainers with the Batman logo intricately stitched across the back. Zayn gets a chalk pastel set with a package of mini-canvases. Niall gets a pair of monogrammed sunglasses with accents of green along the edges.

After an hour or so, everyone has exchanged gifts and they’re all lounging around, full of sugar and beer, sleepy and happy and lazy. At one point, Harry switches on an old movie station looping black and white Christmas films and every so often one or all of them mumbles along to the tunes they grew up with.

Some time later, Niall has passed out on the couch and they decide it’s best to just leave him be. They’ve woken up a sleepy Niall before and he was one angry elf, er, leprechaun. They learned their lesson.

Louis pulls an adorably sluggish Harry to standing and lets him flop onto his shoulder. “We should go,” Louis whispers, jabbing his boyfriend playfully in the ribs. Harry moans a soft ouch and smiles dreamily. “It was a lovely night, Liam. Thank you.” Louis manages to air kiss Liam on both cheeks while still, miraculously, holding up the sleepy giant, and blows Zayn a kiss as well as he fumbles Harry out the door.

Zayn is collecting empty bottles and dirty plates and bringing them over to Liam’s tiny kitchen. “You don’t have to do that, Zee,” Liam whispers, but he’s secretly glad he’s doing it. Liam swoons at the very thought of domestic Zayn and has to keep turned around so Zayn doesn’t notice his cheeks burning in the fuzzy glow of Christmas lights Liam has strung along the window.

“I know, but I want to. I like to,” Zayn replies softly, turning back to Liam, the only thing between them the couch that Niall is asleep on. Zayn leans against the countertop, elbows propped behind him, and squints his eyes just slightly. He begins tracing patterns with his socked foot on the hardwood floor and watches Liam carefully, quietly. “Thanks,” he finally murmurs. “For this,” he waves his arm idly. “It was a really nice night.”

Liam stares back at Zayn, his eyes dark in the soft light of the kitchen, his languid body relaxed in Liam’s space, Liam’s home. “Yeah, it was, wasn’t it,” Liam manages, a small smile playing at his lips.

“Love your present, too,” Zayn speaks again and Liam has to step closer to hear what he’s said. “It’s perfect.”

“You’re welcome,” Liam says, measured. “Thought of you right when I saw it.” Liam had found a Wreck This Journal at the bookstore, but an updated version that had extra pages and came with extra markers.

“Yeah, perfect,” Zayn chuckles lowly, smirking in the dark.

“Got you something else,” Liam mumbles, finding more courage as he steps towards Zayn and into the dim light. “C’mon,” he reaches out, willing his hand to stop shaking as he takes Zayn’s wrist and wraps his fingers around. He leads them to his bedroom, just out of sight and earshot in case Niall wakes up. Trusting the darkness, Liam leaves the lights off and pulls Zayn next to him on the bed.

“You didn’t have to get me anything else, babe,” Zayn insists, Liam’s heart stopping at the nickname, even though he’s heard it a billion times and from Zayn it’s…just Zayn.

“I wanted to,” Liam stutters, reaching underneath his pillow and fumbling for a small box.

Zayn reaches out, his fingers gliding over Liam’s, setting a fire to Liam’s skin, and laughs. “Well, I can’t see it if it’s dark, now can I?” Zayn shoves his shoulder into Liam’s and Liam chuckles nervously, glad that the night conceals the pink in his cheeks.

“Well, I guess not,” Liam starts, trying to think on his feet, but all he can think is gibberish and Zayn’s fingers are still dancing against his as they both handle the box between them. “Here. I’ll…explain it then, yeh?” Liam offers, stalling.

Zayn squeezes Liam’s fingers in his and listens quietly.

“Right. Yeah. So. I wanted to give you something else, something special just from me, not in front of the lads. It didn’t feel…right doing this with an audience so…”

“Li, it’s okay,” Zayn murmurs, sensing Liam’s tension as always, stroking his fingertips along the back of Liam’s hand.

“Okay. Okay, yeah, so.” Liam clears his throat and brings his voice back down to a normal pitch. “You know you’re my best friend, Zee, yeah? And you mean the world to me and you’re always there for me and well, I know you look at me and sometimes probably see goofy Liam, always tripping over himself and laughing too loud and…”

“Liam I don’t…” Zayn interrupts, but Liam can’t stop barreling on.

“Well, whatever you think, I want you to know what I think. About you. About us. I mean…”

Liam loses his thoughts and dares a glance at Zayn, his eyes glowing like liquid gold in the dark.

“What I’m trying to say is…oh, just open the box, will you?” Liam sighs, pushing the package towards Zayn.

Zayn’s long, nimble fingers untie the silky bow and pop the lid off the small, square box. He reaches inside and pulls out something he can’t quite identify and Liam sees in his face, as well as he can in the dark, that he needs to explain further and his stomach drops because he’s run out of steam and wishes Zayn would just read his mind. Zayn breathes next to him, passing the object from hand to hand, feeling for some sort of clue and suddenly his movement stops and he holds the object still.

“Liam. This…this is a…a heart, isn’t it?” Zayn asks, quietly, curiously, calmly.

“Yeah, yes. It’s. It’s a heart,” Liam holds his breath.

“You’re…you’re giving me…a heart…your…heart…?” Zayn pieces together slowly, drawing out every word as he figures it out.

“Yes, yeah, that would be the general idea here,” Liam chokes out, wholly embarrassed and flaming red now.

“Li,” Zayn begins, a smooth whisper between them. He clutches the heart in his right hand, his left coming up to touch Liam’s cheek. “This is…”

 _Don’t say it,_ Liam thinks, _just don’t say what I’m thinking you’ll say…don’t break my heart, not on Christmas…_

“…bloody beautiful.” Zayn’s tone is soft, the palm of his hand cupping Liam’s face. “I should have known you’d be the one to make the first move, something grand and romantic and cheesy as fuck-all,” Zayn goes on, his thumb caressing Liam’s jawbone.

Liam is stunned, silent, melting into Zayn’s touch, unable to process the words coming from Zayn’s pouted lips. “You…you’re not rejecting it?” Liam finally asks, blush creeping into every inch of his body that Zayn thankfully cannot see.

“‘f course not, love,” Zayn smiles, and Liam can see even in the dark that he’s smiling bright and true and just for Liam. “I’ve been wanting to…well, you’ve just got more guts than me, yeah?”

“I…guess so, yeah,” Liam stammers, lowering his head. “So. Does that mean you accept? My heart, that is…I think, I mean…”

“Yes, yes, of course, babe,” Zayn confirms, slipping his thumb over Liam’s lips now, meeting a gasp from behind them. “And even though I don’t have a gift in a box, mine’s all yours, too. If you want it, that is,” Zayn trails off, confidence faltering.

And Liam doesn’t know what to do so he does the only thing he can think to do and closes the gap between them, pressing his lips to Zayn’s, and whispering “Merry Christmas.”


End file.
